Haplochromis nuchisquamulatus
| Kingdom |
Phylum |
Class |
Order |
Family |
| ANIMALIA |
CHORDATA |
ACTINOPTERYGII |
PERCIFORMES |
CICHLIDAE |
| Scientific Name: |
Haplochromis nuchisquamulatus |
| Species Authority: |
(Hilgendorf, 1888) |
| Synonym/s: |
Xystichromis nuchisquamulatus (Hilgendorf, 1888)
|
Assessment Information
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| Red List Category & Criteria: |
Data Deficient
ver 3.1
|
| Year Published: |
2010 |
| Assessor/s: |
Witte, F. & de Zeeuw, M.P. |
| Reviewer/s: |
Darwall, W. & Smith, K. |
Justification:
There is no information available on the population size of this species now, or in the past. Presence of the species has never been confirmed in the Tanzania sector of Lake Victoria by the Haplochromis Ecology Survey Team. A lake wide survey is needed before a full assessment can be made.
|
| History: |
|
Geographic Range
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Population
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| Population: |
No information available.
|
| Population Trend: |
Unknown
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Habitat and Ecology
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| Habitat and Ecology: |
There is no information on the substrate over which the species has been found. Most specimens (5 out 6 studied by Greenwood, 1956) were caught in exposed littoral zones of Lake Victoria, and one in the Victoria Nile. The species is an epiphytic algae grazer.
|
| Systems: |
Freshwater |
| Major Threat(s): |
Threats to this species are not fully understood, but are likely to include hybridization due to decreased water transparency (on account of eutrophication and erosion leading to increased sedimentation and runoff) interfering with mate recognition visual cues (Mrosso et al. 2003). This species is fished, although not targeted specifically.
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Conservation Actions
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| Conservation Actions: |
More information is needed on the presence and range of this species within the lake. Many fish species within Lake Victoria have suffered severe and dramatic declines since the introduction of the Nile Perch. Although numbers of the perch have now decreased, the degradation of the water quality is also thought to be having a significant impact on some fish species. More research is needed to monitor this species and how it is affected by these threats, as well as establishing the extent of its range within the lake. Policy based action is needed to decrease the degradation of the lake, as well as to prevent over fishing. Protected areas should also be established.
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Bibliography
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Greenwood, P.H. 1956. A revision of the Lake Victoria Haplochromis species (Pisces, Cichlidae), Part I. Bulletin British Museum of Natural History (Zoology) 4: 223-244.
IUCN. 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2010.3). Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. (Accessed: 2 September 2010).
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